Looking for Velvet Preserving Tips

[Bownsaw30]

Hey, so this is the first year that I might have a legitimate chance at harvesting a "nice" whitetail buck in velvet with my bow. It's not my goal to harvest him(s) in velvet, just that if I get a chance at him while he's in velvet I'm not going to pass on him. I'd rather him be hard "horned" less to deal with and less expensive I presume. And I just want to be prepared ie. having the products I need in my pack to preserve my trophy.

So here are the questions:
1) What do I need to do immediately to preserve the velvet?
2) How long do I have to get it to a taxidermist (should I have one lined up prior to the season start?)
3) Do I need to keep the velvet on? (will the antlers be soft/ easily broken if I remove the velvet with no other preparation? )
4) Has anybody seen a velvet euro mount or anything other than a shoulder/ half mount that looks decent?
(as a student really could use the cash in other departments, ie. food)


Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

[reddeerhunter]

Boil meat off head.
Add Raid to the velvet. Heard it works.
Just peel velvet off works too.
Cheapest way possible.
I did some euros in a steel garbage can with a pail heater over cpl days and 2l javex. Those wt turned out great.

[dshaw]

Get it to your taxidermist as soon as you can. if you can't, the best way to keep it from spoiling is to put the whole head in the freezer and then when you get time take it your taxidermist. I don't see too many velvet Euro mounts as the steam from boiling tends to peel the velvet if not done right. Beetles are a possibility to but I would think they would eat the velvet. The ones I have seen done looked really good though.

[NBFK]

Shot this guy august 26th one year. Caped him out and cleaned as much flesh off as possible. Threw him in the freezer until November and then moved him to the shed until around February. Cleaned the skull and let him finish drying in the garage. Freezing the antlers makes it tighten up over time. It will still be a bit loose once he unthaws but there won't be much left for moisture in the velvet.
Biggest thing is to be really careful once a velvet critters down. I killed a mulie last year that was days away from rubbing. I was real careful with him in the field. Made sure his his antlers were on something soft in the back of the truck when I transported him. I'm getting him shoulder mounted so Marco did some formaldehyde injections on him.


This is the one I did myself at home.

[3blade]

The antlers will be bone white, VERY sharp and hard underneath the velvet. I shot a one-antlered buck 2 yrs ago, dont really care for the look of velvet anyway, just peeled it off with pliers. Gotta do it relatively quick, before it starts to dry. Wash the blood off the antlers immediately and stain once dried (if you wish).

If you really, really like the look...talk to a taxidermist. Otherwise you can save money, strip it and do a euro yourself.

You can make the antler velvet into magic medicine

[Lefty-Canuck]

I shot an early archery season moose years ago, velvet still on. Used a pressure washer to clean them up and they turned from pink to white and look like they sat in the sun for 50 years.

LC

[pseelk]

If you want to keep the velvet on the antlers,rub Borax all over them then wrap them with gauze to protect them till you get the head to your taxidermist.

[Torkdiesel]

Originally Posted by pseelk

If you want to keep the velvet on the antlers,rub Borax all over them then wrap them with gauze to protect them till you get the head to your taxidermist.

Exactly what he said ^^^^

A syringe and formaldehyde works as well if you know what you are doing. The borax is the easiest way to go.

[Don K]

Get formaldehyde and a syringe. If you slowly inject it into all the blood vessels starting at the base and working to the tips.
Hang them upside down when you are done and poke holes with syringe, injecting a bit more, at the tips to give everything somewhere to drain. You'll have to top everything up likely once. Works great!!

[Roughneck Country]

Originally Posted by NBFK

Shot this guy august 26th one year. Caped him out and cleaned as much flesh off as possible. Threw him in the freezer until November and then moved him to the shed until around February. Cleaned the skull and let him finish drying in the garage. Freezing the antlers makes it tighten up over time. It will still be a bit loose once he unthaws but there won't be much left for moisture in the velvet.
Biggest thing is to be really careful once a velvet critters down. I killed a mulie last year that was days away from rubbing. I was real careful with him in the field. Made sure his his antlers were on something soft in the back of the truck when I transported him. I'm getting him shoulder mounted so Marco did some formaldehyde injections on him.


This is the one I did myself at home.

Nice! DIY freeze dry on a euro, I will deff try this some day if I get the chance.

When my buddy and I went to Alaska in Sept he got a caribou in velvet early on in the hunt. I think day 3 or 4 of a 21 day trip. He kept his antlers in the shade and it was plenty warm during the day but cool not freezing at night. They made it back in one piece and were still able to be preserved. I would still bring them in asap and keep cool but it does see they will keep for awhile if there are not in direct heat.

[Bownsaw30]

Thanks for all the advice! I do have access to 37% formaldehyde, and all the safety equipment so I'll probably end up going that route if I harvest a buck in velvet. Or I might just peel it and stain it..... not the first choice but we'll see lol

As for the mount I think I'll just do a classic fabric wrapped plaque. Saw a couple velvet mule deer ones on the web and they looked pretty sharp.

Thanks again everyone and If there are any other tips feel free to post it's still awhile till opening day!!

[******]

I've done a few deer and a couple caribou antlers with formaldehyde and a syringe and it is still on there years later. Just poke a hole near the tip of each point in the blood vessel as a drain, inject formaldehyde solution in at the base until the blood flushes out the holes you poked. Then go into any points of palmation or branching and be sure to flush out the flat parts with more formaldehyde and you're done.

As far as doing a euro mount it's tricky. Got to clean and/or cook off the meat without heating or moistening the velvet.

Beetles can work but it can catastrophic. You need to preserve the velvet first, then wrap it in someway that no beetles can get in. They will eat all the velvet off in no time if they can.

If you're planning on going to a taxidermist for it then talk to the taxidermist to see what they want, generally a quick freeze, but just ask them.

[Diamondhitch]

Formaledhyde is nasty stuff.

You can make a saturated borax solution by adding borax to warm water until it wont mix in anymore. Allow it to cool then inject it into the tis until blood stops flowing out of the base. Inject each tine in several places and keep going until it comes out clean. Then wash the rack with Dawn detergent and water, rinse until absolutely no bubbles remain and blow dry the velvet with cool air to fluff the velvet (don't handle the velvet after fluffing until the skin completely dries) and hang them to dry.

Another way, if you have access is by doing your injections with methanol or the lazy way - poke tons of holes in the velvet then soak the entire rack in methanol overnight. In either case clean the velvet thoroughly with dawn and fluff it up and hang to dry. This method will dry the skin quicker than the Borax but either way will preserve vey nicely.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by Diamondhitch

Formaledhyde is nasty stuff.

You can make a saturated borax solution by adding borax to warm water until it wont mix in anymore. Allow it to cool then inject it into the tis until blood stops flowing out of the base. Inject each tine in several places and keep going until it comes out clean. Then wash the rack with Dawn detergent and water, rinse until absolutely no bubbles remain and blow dry the velvet with cool air to fluff the velvet (don't handle the velvet after fluffing until the skin completely dries) and hang them to dry.

Another way, if you have access is by doing your injections with methanol or the lazy way - poke tons of holes in the velvet then soak the entire rack in methanol overnight. In either case clean the velvet thoroughly with dawn and fluff it up and hang to dry. This method will dry the skin quicker than the Borax but either way will preserve vey nicely.

So true, and with many options that produce the same or better quality preservation, there is no good reason to use it.


Preserving the velvet is easy. No need for a taxidermist.

As advised several times, get a large syringe (50ml) and hypodermic needle from any pharmacy or medical supply store. First Poke several holes in the antler tips with the needle to allow for blood to drain out. Then inject the preservative (borax solution, tanning solution or even saltwater) into the veins at the base of the antlers until all the blood is evacuated. Apply the same solution to the exterior of the velvet and hang to dry. After a few days very gently wash the excess solution off the velvet, let dry then brush velvet. And your Done.

[Roughneck Country]

If doing a euro mount this way how do you clean the skull after, mainly the degreasing component? without wrecking the velvet?

[Sharpie]

Originally Posted by Don K

Get formaldehyde and a syringe. If you slowly inject it into all the blood vessels starting at the base and working to the tips.
Hang them upside down when you are done and poke holes with syringe, injecting a bit more, at the tips to give everything somewhere to drain. You'll have to top everything up likely once. Works great!!

I have done four bucks like this, none of them small deer and it works awesome, but i use turpintine, works as good as formaldehyde and way easier to buy.

[Syms1919]

Formaldehyde is nasty stuff. Putting them in the freezer is kinda like freeze drying them. And if you do a plaque I mark the back of the horn with a line using a dremel on each horn then cut the horns off. Boil or I macerate my skulls. Then drill a hole in skull and horn insert piece of wire, make sloppy so horn can move. Then bond horns back on.

[Syms1919]

Degrease with dawn dish soap. The green kind (apples).